List of former Speakers of the House of Delegates in the old House chamber in the Virginia State Capitol
Early life and family life
Isaac Fowler was born to Thomas and Priscilla Fowler on September 23, 1831, in Tazewell County, Virginia. He attended Emory and Henry College. He married Kezia McDonald Chapman on December 4, 1854. During the Civil War, he worked for the Commissary Department of the Confederate States under John Breckenridge. Fowler, along with his brother, Elbert, purchased the Bristol News from A.C. Smith in 1864. He became the paper editor until February, 1884.[2]
Political career
Fowler's first delve into politics came when he served as Mayor of Bristol, Virginia, from 1871 to 1875. After his term as mayor was up, he won his first stint in the Virginia General Assembly where he served until 1879. During the 1877-79 General Assembly meeting, he served as Chairman of the Virginia House of Delegates Schools and Colleges Committee.[4] He won his second stint in 1881 and was voted Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates during the 1881-82 General Assembly Meeting. As speaker, he oversaw legislation enacted that repealed the state's poll tax as a prerequisite to voting and liberalized appropriations for the state's public school system, which included the creation of Virginia State University, passage of the ReAdjusters debt bill, and reform of tax laws.[5] After his term as speaker was up, he served as Clerk of the U. S. District Court in Abingdon, until shortly before he died in 1904.[6]
Death and legacy
Fowler died on April 6, 1904. He is buried at East Hill Cemetery in Bristol, Virginia.[6]
